Bed or couch bottom.



PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903.

J. HOEY. BED OR GOUCHIBOTTOM. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1B, 1903.

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NlTED Frames Patented December 15, 1903.

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BED OR COUCH BOTTOM.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,176, dated December15, 1903. Application filed June 18, 1903. Serial No. 162,006. (Nomodel.)

lib all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HOEY, a citizen of the United States,residingin the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented an Improvement in Bed or Couch Bottoms; and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in bed and couch bottoms of thatclass in which a woven wire or equivalent support for the uppermattressis attached to a framework, which framework is supported uponthe bedstead.

My invention consists of parts, constructions, and combinationshereinafter described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanationof my invention, Figure 1 is a partial plan showing the fabricattachment. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of same. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of strengthening-bar and an adjustable frame.

Bed and couch bottoms are largely made by stretching a woven-wire orequivalent fabric across a rigid supportingframe. The difficulty in theemployment of such fabric is the tendency of the central portion to beunduly depressed and the nnsuppprted sides or edges of the fabric to bedrawn toward each other by continual use. It is the object of myinvention to stiffen and strengthen such fabric and to maintain theedges in their proper position and to prevent the undue depression ofthe bearingsurface.

As shown in the drawings.,A represents the side, and B the end rails, ofa mattress or couch frame bolted together at the angles and constructedin any suitable or desired manner for the support of the woven-wirefabric 2, which 'is here shown as secured to the end bars and extendingwithout attachment from one end to the other. In order to equalize anddistribute the depressing action of the weight appliedto the surface ofthis fabric and also to maintain the fabric in its full transverse widthand to prevent its being contracted or the edges drawn inwardly, I haveshown the metalbars 3, which are in the form of elastic bars, each ofwhich has upward or downward bent curves or loops 4 at short intervals.These bars extend entirely across from one side of the fabric to theother and may be applied either above or below. In the present case Ihave shown the bars lyingupon the upper surface of the fabric and theloops 4 projecting downwardly between the meshes of the fabric.

By means of links or equivalent attachments5 of any desired descriptionpassing through the loops below the fabric they are prevented from beingdrawn out and the bars are maintained lying flat upon the surface of thefabric. The ends of the bars are in like manner connected with the outeredges of the fabric, and as the bars are continuous from one side tothe-other it will be manifest that the edges of the fabric will beprevented from drawing or being pressed inwardly.

The bars are so elastic that they will be depressed at any point inunison with the depression of the fabric itself, and by reason of thedownwardly-curved loops and the short distance between the loops thiselasticity of the bars becomes almost the same as that of the fabricitself. I have found that by extending one or more of these bars acrossthe fabric the latter is greatly strengthened, especially in the centralportion, which is subject to the greatest depression by reason of itsdistance from the end supports.

It will be understood that my invention is equally applicable to couchor bed bottoms in which one end of the fabric is secured to atension-adjusting bar movable with relation to the main frame, as shownin Fig. 8.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. The combination in a bed or couch bottom of a rigid frame, a fabricstretched from end to end thereof, transverse elastic bars having theirends secured to the fabric, and attachments between the bars and thefabric at points intermediate of the ends.

2. The combination in a bed or couch bottom of a rigid frame,anelasticfabric stretched between the ends thereof, elastic metal barshaving bent loops at intervals extending through the fabric, means formaintaining the bars in position upon the fabric and conand means forsecuring the bars to the fabric [0 nections between the ends of the barsand the at intervals between the ends.

fabric. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 3. The combination ina bed or couch bothand. 5 tom ofa rigid frame .an elastic fabricstretched JOHN HOEY from end to end of said frame, one or more elasticbars extending from side to side across Witnesses:

the fabric having the ends secured thereto, EUGENE W. HOEY, intermediatecurved loops formed in the bars JOSEPH E. DODGE.

